rlp1970 said:
Hey Guys!
What is the best ammo to get when packing for self defense??
FMJ? Hollow Point?
Uh....your "subject line" reads "Best
home defense ammo for XD sub 9mm. Your question asks about the best ammo for "packing", which to me implies for carrying (not "home defense"). So which question do you want answered?
Hollow point handgun ammo will, in theory, do more damage to human tissue than FMJ bullets.
They are also is less likely to over-penetrate (go through an assailant), generally considered safer, since it's less likely to go through a bad guy and continue on to hit an innocent bystander.
However this is a bad way of looking at things IMO since no matter what you are shooting, and no matter how good a shot you are, you (or anyone) has a pretty good chance of missing your target. Especially in a high stress situation, which all shootings are.
If there's an innocent bystander behind a bad guy, you are probably more likely to miss the bad guy and hit the innocent than you are to hit the bad guy and have the bullet pass through him (or her) and then go on to hit an unintended target.
If there is any person or object that you do not wish to hit, you cannot shoot any kind of bullet in the direction of that person (or object). In other words, you just cannot shoot. If you do, this is indefensible in a hearing or lawsuit.
Hollow point bullets, because they are designed to open up and slow down on impact have another draw-back. They may be ineffective if your target is wearing heavy clothing like a thick leather jacket. This depends on the type of hollow point, and the caliber, weight, and also the amount of propellant behind the bullet. You mentioned in your "subject" line an XD Sub 9, so I guess you are interested in 9mm ammo only? (You don't specify in your question though).
Hollow point bullets are also (in theory) less likely to ricochet, which I suppose is a point in their favor as far as safety.
Many people use frangible bullets in their homes, which is a different kind of bullet altogether. It's designed to break apart on impact and (in theory) not go through walls....a selling point for use in home defense. I have no personal experience with these expensive rounds that are considered by some to be ineffective. They are neither hollow points nor are they FMJ.
As for full metal jacket bullets, they have their advantages. They are less likely to be stopped by heavy clothing, they feed more reliably in certain semi-automatic handguns and if you are in the military you violate the Geneva Convention if you fire an expanding (hollow point) bullet.
But if you are in the military, you shoot what they give you, so it isn't a concern.
If you look at ammunition packaging you will see that hollow point bullets are usually labeled "self defense". FMJ bullets are usually labeled as "target" or "range" ammunition.
Peace,
D.